


Your Reputation Preceeds You

by Shmoopy73



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Link (Legend of Zelda) - Freeform, Link/reader - Freeform, Pre-Breath of the Wild, Pre-Calamity (Legend of Zelda), reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:48:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24106231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shmoopy73/pseuds/Shmoopy73
Summary: Before Link becomes the Princess's appointed knight, he must prove his skills through a sparring match with one of Hyrule's best fighters, the Captain of the Royal Guard.
Relationships: Link (Legend of Zelda)/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 106





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how I feel about this one tbh. I'm still experimenting with reader inserts, so beware!

He's heard the stories about the captain of the royal guard before. About his heroics and bravery in battle, and utter fearlessness when facing a formidable foe. Rumors travel fast around Castle Town, and as much as Link wasn't interested in gossip, the tales were undoubtedly hard to ignore. Even now as he walked around one of the many shops of Castle Town, it was hard not to listen in on the conversation the shop keeper was having with another patron behind him.

"I heard he took down a Lynel all by himself!"

"I heard that too! It was silver no less; those monsters are nearly invincible!" Link didn't look up from the rushrooms he was inspecting when a third voice joined in.

"Those are all simply rumors. No one's even seen the captain in person."

"Well I've heard he's extremely good looking! Tall, muscular, and brave; every girl's dream!" The tone of the female shop keeper's voice was gentle as she swooned over the royal guard's leader. Deciding he'd heard enough, Link left the shop empty-handed. He hadn't needed anything anyway, he was simply out wandering around in a feeble attempt to calm his nerves. So much was changing for him so quickly, he felt he needed a few moments of simplicity.

After today's audience with the King of Hyrule himself, Link was being tasked with a sparring match against one of Hyrule's best knights to test his skills. He had caught the attention of the king after he had saved multiple shiekah scientists and townspeople from a malfunctioning guardian that was being studied in the center of town. The mechanical beast had been firing blue laser beams at people when his instincts had kicked in, forcing him to pick up a lid from a nearby cooking pot and jump in front of the beast to reflect its attack. The blue light had bounced back and hit its eye, which was evidently their weak spot, bringing the ancient machine to its knees. He hadn't thought about it for a second, just simply did what needed to be done to protect those in danger.

Link has dedicated years of his life to training with every weapon imaginable, committed to becoming the best fighter he could be in order to one day follow in his father's footsteps and become a knight of Hyrule. It seemed the Goddess had ensured he was in the right place at the right time that day, so that not only was he able to protect those people from the guardian, but he was now being given the honor to prove himself worthy of knighthood.

He pulled his hood up as he stepped outside to keep the cool of the evening from nipping at his ears. The familiarity of his traveler's sword thumping his back with his movements put Link at ease while his mind wandered. Navigating by moonlight now, he headed back towards the castle and the spare bedroom the King had insisted he take for the night until his scrimmage tomorrow. Shortly after entering the castle grounds, he noticed a spacious courtyard beneath a balcony, hidden well by the darkness. Since most people have retired for the evening, the deserted area seemed as good a place as any to get some practice in.

He walked to the center of the open courtyard, unsheathing his sword as he went. He held the hilt in a tight grip, basking in the comfort that having a sword in his hand brought him. Muscle memory took over and he began going through the motions he knew all too well. Swinging the sword at his imaginary foe, first toward the left, then the right, he let the events of the past few days fade away as he focused solely on his motions. Spinning around in place, he thrust another attack forward, grunting as he put all his strength into slicing the air.

After about his third round, he felt eyes on him. There was another presence in the dark watching him, he could feel it. He didn't let it show however, his body still going through the motions while his mind worked to pinpoint where the person was. Another jab of the sword to the left, then again to the right and he heard it. The scuff of shoes on the stone staircase behind him as someone walked down the stairs. He slowed his movements to a stop, holding his sword directly in front of him as he waited to hear if the footfalls would come closer.

_ This person is either light on their feet or doing their best to sneak up on me and failing _ , he thought as he strained to listen. Hearing the shoes come off the last step he turned, sword still in hand, and met the eyes of a young woman. He was slightly surprised, expecting someone with malicious intent, so he stayed silent, taking in what features he could see in the moonlight.

They were about the same age, he figured, though that’s where the similarities ended. She had (h/c) hair that fell over her shoulders and cascaded down the back of her plain tunic. Her frame was small but not quite frail as she came off the last step and turned to fully face him. Her eyes were trained on him even as she moved, and over the distance between them he swore he could see her smirk. His thoughts came back to him and he realized he still had his sword pointed at her. He lowered it quickly, blushing with embarrassment as he cleared his throat to find his voice.

"Sorry about that," he told her, returning his sword to its scabbard and lowering his hood.

"It's alright, I should know better than to sneak up on someone with a weapon." She chuckled, taking a few steps closer now that his weapon was put away. "You're pretty good with that thing." She nodded to his sword. He looked at his feet as he rubbed the back of his neck, slightly uncomfortable with the praise.

"Thanks." Now that she was closer he could see her more clearly, and it didn't escape him that she was pretty. That wasn't a thing he normally noticed since he was usually too busy deciding if the person before him was a threat or not, which he was still considering.

"Can I see it?" She asked, bright eyes boring a hole into him. He tilted his head at her questioningly.

"My sword?" He looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and caution written on his face.

"Yeah." She answered simply, nodding. He hesitated, looking her up and down wondering what this stranger's motives were. Why was she out here at night to begin with? Though he supposed the same could be asked about him. She noticed his hesitation and let out a soft laugh.

"Don't worry, I'm harmless. My name's (Y/N)." She stretched a hand out to him, for a handshake or the sword he wasn't sure. He considered her for another moment before unsheathing his sword once more, placing the handle into her outstretched palm. He'd decided to humor her, figuring that even if she did try to use the weapon against him, she was smaller than him and could be easily overpowered.

"Link." Her face broke into a smile as she looked down at the blade and adjusted her grip on the hilt. Backing up a step she rotated her wrist and turned the weapon over, testing the weight of it. Link's eyes followed her movements as she gave it a few light thrusts, stabbing and slicing the air just as he had moments ago. She was confident in her motions, her hair flowing behind her with each lunge. She was obviously not only familiar with a sword, but fairly skilled with one. Once again, he was surprised by her.

Her movements slowed as she glanced up and noticed Link watching her. She smiled at him sheepishly, turning the sword over to hand it back to him by the handle.

"Sorry, I got a little caught up there. It's a nice blade." It took him a moment to come out of his stupor and reach for his weapon. His fingers brushed against hers as he grabbed the hilt of the sword, and he noticed how rough her hands were. Perhaps she was a maid, he thought, her hands rough and worn from cleaning. He returned his sword to its rightful place on his back.

"Where did you learn to fight?" he asked her, genuinely curious. She seemed so harmless and innocent, yet she could wield a sword better than the average commoner. He recognized her moves as some of the basics of sword fighting he had learned as a child.

"My father taught me. He always said a girl should know how to defend herself." she shrugged, smiling at him as she clasped her hands together in front of her. He nodded.

"You did well." he complimented. "Not many people know how to brandish a sword, let alone use it effectively. Perhaps you should continue your training, you have a lot of potential." She chuckled at his words making him raise a brow in confusion, wondering what he'd said that was funny.

"Are you offering to teach me?" she asked, smirking at him with her hands now on her hips. He shrugged, blushing again as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Well it doesn't have to be me, I'm sure there are plenty of soldiers or knights willing to teach you. But, I mean, if you want me to I can." he shrugged again as his face got hotter.

"Well that's very kind of you, Link." She said, a wide grin on her face. "Perhaps I'll take you up on your offer." He gave her a small smile, hoping the redness of his face wasn't too noticeable under the light of the moon.

"Well, I'd better be going, it's getting late. It was nice meeting you Link." Her smile never wavering as she took a few steps back towards the edge of the courtyard.

"Likewise. Goodnight, (Y/N)." He nodded to her in a gentlemanly way.

"Goodnight Link." She said as she turned away, walking with confident strides in the opposite direction. He watched her for a moment before turning and heading up the staircase towards his room for the night.

He scrunched his brow in confusion as he walked along the corridors of the castle. He couldn't help but think of how strange the girl had been. Shaking his head of those thoughts, he told himself he had more important things to worry about.

******

The next morning, Link was in the knights training area kneeling before the King of Hyrule as he explained what the sparring match would entail. Link was to go up against Hyrule kingdom's top swordsman, the captain of the royal guard, in order to prove his skills. He wasn't surprised at the king's choice of his opponent. If there was any truth at all to the stories he's heard, the captain should prove to be a capable adversary.

Standing upon the King's command, he looked around for his opponent. Remembering the conversation he had overheard yesterday, his eyes scanned the area for a man fitting the shop keepers rough description. He saw no one but the King, his daughter Princess Zelda (who looked quite bored), and the few knights and royal guards that were surrounding them up upon the balcony above the courtyard. There were a few knights that had gathered to watch the fight, but he paid them no mind; he was only looking for his competitor.

"Are you ready, captain?" The king's loud, deep voice reverberated through the area, drawing Link's attention once more. He turned in the direction the king was speaking, eager to assess his rival when he made eye contact with the girl he'd met last night. What was her name, (Y/N)? She looked different now, with her hair pinned back into a perfect braid. A bright-colored tunic with Hyrule's crest on it replaced the plain one she'd worn yesterday, and her hand was resting on the hilt of a sword secured to her hip. He was shocked to see her in the knights training area at all really, let alone with her own weapon. She stepped forward from the small yet quickly growing crowd.

"I am ready, your majesty." She said, her voice steady and confident as she bowed to the king, her eyes never leaving Link's. The smirk that adorned her face turned into a full-blown grin as she watched him work to understand what was happening. All at once it clicked in his mind, and he felt his face blush such a bright red it would surely put apples to shame.

_ Oh, dear Hylia. _

He wracked his brain, going over every word of their conversation from the night before, blush growing deeper by the second.

_ Oh, my Goddess, I've made a complete fool of myself.  _

He watched as she drew closer to him in the center of the makeshift arena, unsure of what to do. She let out a heavy laugh at the expression on his face.

"It seems we meet again, Link." She said, a few feet from him now. She drew her royal guards sword from the scabbard on her hip, taking a fighting stance in front of him. "Perhaps when we're done here you can teach me a few things about sword fighting, hm?" She said it quietly enough that he was the only one to hear her, which he was thankful for. His face had to be hotter than Death Mountain at this point. He forced himself to gather his bearings enough to unsheathe his sword and focus back on the task at hand.

He spread his legs and bent his knees, mimicking her fighting stance and signaling he was ready to begin. The two kept eye contact with one another until the King's booming voice was heard from the balcony above the courtyard.

"Begin!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I decided I wasn't going to be able to let it go until I wrote the next part, and I'm glad I did because I actually like it?

Link sat on the edge of the bed in his new room in Hyrule castle. He looked around, observing how strange his few belongings looked in the massive space. He still wasn't quite sure this was all real, but thinking back to the mock fight and the embarrassment he felt even now, he knew it was.

He was given the day to settle in and he wasn't quite sure what to do with it. His duties would begin at first light tomorrow, as not only a knight of Hyrule but a member of the Royal Guard. He was beyond honored and humbled by the position given to him by King Rhoam. The king had even mentioned something about the potential for Link to move to the personal guards of Princess Zelda. He had tried his best to listen to the king's words as he knelt before him, but his mind was so overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions he hadn't caught it all.

Of course his new position meant he would be seeing a lot more of (Y/N); she was his superior now. The thought of her brought a new wave of embarrassment coursing through him. She had more than proved to him just how much 'potential' she truly had for sword fighting during their scrimmage. It seemed they were matched fairly well in that area, having heard whisperings afterward that his match with the captain had lasted longer than any of the previous knights or guards. Link trusted what they said, having no real idea himself since time always seemed to slow down for him when he was fighting.

Throughout the entirety of the fight she'd matched him blow for blow, letting her strength and skill show with each clash of their swords. He learned quite quickly that while he was bigger than she was, she was more agile. She was fast and knew well how to use her opponent's weight and force against them. After picking up on a few of her key techniques he had adapted quickly, finding ways to dodge her attacks and land a few of his own. It took some time but eventually Link had found an opening in her defenses. After he had put a considerable amount of strength into a particular blow, she had deflected it expertly with her sword but was knocked off balance slightly, giving Link the perfect opening. He'd lunged at her with his shoulder first, intent on knocking her back further or even off her feet, but he had underestimated her preparedness. She'd seen him coming, dodging to the right at the last second and sending him stumbling forward. He passed right by her, hunched over in an attempt to slow his momentum and she landed an elbow to his upper back, which sent him sprawling onto his stomach on the cobblestone with his sword skittering out of reach. He rolled over immediately, only to be met with the tip of her sword pointed down at him.

He raised his hands in surrender, taking a moment to see her face as she stood over him. She was breathing heavily from the exertion, sweat making her skin glisten as she met his eyes. They stared at each other for a moment longer than necessary before her face broke out into a wide grin, happy with her victory. Seeing what he was waiting for, he took the opportunity to sweep his legs sideways with all his strength, taking hers out from under her. She landed on her back hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs as he jumped to his feet, taking her royal guard's sword from where she'd dropped it and pointing it down at her. After gathering enough air back into her body to see straight again, she was greeted to her own sword against her throat.

He'd beaten her, but only just. She had fought valiantly, and again he found himself impressed by her. He was still embarrassed by what he'd said to her the night before, and he hoped he could find an opportunity to apologize to her.

His thoughts were racing through his mind, swirling into a dark cloud of nervousness as he dwelled on what tomorrow could hold for him. His attention was torn free by a knock on the door frame of his open door. Thankful for the distraction, he shot up from where he was still seated on the bed and turned to face the opening. There, leaning against the door frame with the smirk on her face that he was beginning to associate with her, was (Y/N). Surprised, he gaped at her for a moment, not sure what to say. She folded her arms across the front of her new, clean tunic. She must have cleaned up since their sparring match.

"I suppose congratulations are in order." She was smiling as she spoke. He shuffled his feet, looking down as he felt the familiar heat climb up his neck to his cheeks.

"Thank you." They stood in silence for a moment, him trying to avoid eye contact and her grinning as she watched him flounder for a moment. Finally, he found his voice.

"Listen, (Y/N). I- I mean Captain. I'm sorry, about what I said, or assumed, I mean-" She cut off his rambling with a wave of her hand, which he was thankful for.

"You wouldn't be the first, and I'm certain you won't be the last. Don't worry about it Link, really. I'm not mad. Though I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the look on your face."

"You mean lying again?" The words slipped from his mouth before he could stop them. His eyes grew wide as he snapped his jaw shut audibly, horrified at himself for disrespecting his superior. The blush on his face grew as she threw her head back, laughing at his forwardness.

"Technically I never lied. Everything I said was true. I really did learn to fight from my father, he just happened to be one of the best knights in Hyrule." She gave him a half shrug with her free shoulder, her smile never waning.

"I have made a complete fool of myself." He chuckled lightly at his own stupidity as he stared at his boots.

"That's true." She said, giggling through her words. He was beginning to like her laugh, finding it contagious even if it was at his expense. Neither said anything for a few moments, but he could feel her gaze burning his skin. He couldn't help but be curious about her, and there was a particular question nagging at the back of his mind. He remained silent though, not wanting to put his foot any further into his mouth.

"I can see you debating something from here. Whatever it is just say it." She said, her tone a little more serious. He looked up at her in shock, surprised at how easily she was able to see through him. She stared him down, daring him to challenge her. Her small actions offered him a glimpse of the side of her that was undoubtedly a leader. He took a deep breath, figuring he wasn't getting out of it.

_ Besides, how much worse can I make this?  _

"I was just wondering how you became the captain of the royal guards at such a young age. I mean, you don't seem any older than I am." He shrugged, meeting her gaze as he spoke.

"That, my dear knight, is a long story. I can't give up all my secrets before your first day, now can I?" She had a glint in her eye as she smiled at him teasingly. She stood up straight again, jerking her head in the direction of the hall. "Come on, let's go." She walked away, not looking back to see if he was following. Scrambling, he grabbed his sword from the bed beside him and jogged into the hall to catch up with her.

"Where are we going?" Securing the scabbard around his torso, he looked over at her. She was smiling mischievously, keeping her focus forward as she walked.

"I want a rematch."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> I have an idea to continue this a little further but idk if I will. Let me know what you think!


End file.
